Barry Crowther

Originally from Manchester England, Barry Crowther has made his home in Southern California. He has had short stories published, his first novel Missing has been met with critical acclaim, the follow up scheduled for February 2012.

He continues to work and write on the Matt Spears series in the Orange County sun with his three daughters, wife and chocolate lab Coney.

As the Sun Turns Black

Mystery / Crime

From the very first page of As the Sun Turns Black, it is clear that something is very rotten in the city of Manchester.

Two young girls are missing – then one is found dead, covered in blood and swan-feathers. The murdered child turns out to be the daughter of Matt Spears’ friend, Eddie, who appeals to him to find the killer.

Matt refuses to get involved – he’s having enough trouble trying to stabilize his business and keep his relationships alive. But then, the hated and heartless journalist, Garry Corless arrives back in town, prompting Matt to wonder whether the girl will be found dead or alive before the killer dubbed 'Red' strikes again.

Matt begins to make a series of terrifying connections to a string of murders reaching into the past; driving him into a tangled web of police corruption, violence, blackmail, sexual obsession and fraud. From the upper echelons of high finance to the gritty underbelly of the Lancashire shadows – no one is safe.

Missing

Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Noir fiction, Hard boiled

Debt collector Matt Spears isn't having a good day. He's being framed by the cops over an alleged assault and has inexplicably found himself indebted to the blind, but ruthless gangster, Vincent Barbour. When Barbour’s supposedly dead niece, Emma, surfaces in a graphic sexual video on a porn site, he asks Matt to find her in exchange for wiping the slate clean. Within a matter of hours, Matt is plunged into a world of sex, blackmail and murder. Trying to unravel the mysteries of a troubled young girl's disappearance, he discovers the dark side of the porn industry, complicated family secrets, government corruption, sadistic gangsters, and narcissistic celebrities who all come together to find a girl who is simply ... missing.

Nothing

Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Noir fiction, Hard boiled

An amoral violent Chicago enforcer is heading for the sun and ocean breeze of California to the get to the bottom of the recent suspicious death of his sister. He runs into his own kind as soon as the plane touches asphalt, and they don't appreciate him being around. Not content to let the police handle matters, he begins to follow a trail that leads to the seedy underbelly of Los Angeles and Orange County.

He encounters local gang members, a ruthless West Coast mob boss with his private army of mercenaries plus numerous "Hollywood" types. There are plenty of twists and turns until the grim truth is revealed and a rampage of retribution begins. No one in this novella gets a happy ending or an easy way out. When it's over you might want to reconsider that trip to Disneyland. The California State Tourism Board would prefer it if you didn't read this book. You've been warned.

"It's not his turf, it's not his problem, but now it's someone else's. Chicago Violence meets Disney and Hollywood head on as a Mob Enforcer searches the sun beaten streets of Orange County to find his sisters killer."